It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no — it’s Batkid! Perhaps we’re mixing our superhero metaphors, but people around Gotham City, or rather San Francisco, in mid-November sure had a sight to see when 5-year-old Miles Scott’s dream of being the caped crusader came true.

For one exhilarating day, Miles, who has battled leukemia most of his short life and is now in remission, donned the full uniform of the Dark Knight and raced around the city rescuing the good citizens from the likes of the Penguin and the Riddler. With Batman at his side, and an ever-increasing crowd surrounding him, Miles was an instant media sensation who captured the hearts of America and the world. At the heart of the effort was the Make-a-Wish Foundation, who literally pulled out all the stops to ensure Miles had the crime-fighting day of his life. Thanks to social media, fans watched (and cried) from work, cheering the mini superhero to victory. One person monitoring the events from afar tweeted, “Sometimes humans get it right,” and she’s right.

In a world obsessed with dysfunction in Washington, D.C., with the drama of Toronto’s perpetually embarrassing mayor; in a world plagued with tornadoes and typhoons; in a world full of plane crashes and violence, for one day a group of organizers gave us only pure joy. Sometimes humans get it right — and those times are when we put the good of another above the good of ourselves. When we close roads, make signs and duck out of work to cheer on a little boy who has seen the inside of far too many doctor’s offices as he has the time of his life. A few days after the event, news reports noted that the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s website had crashed as people clambered to donate to their efforts. Humans respond to joy; humans respond to goodness. And sometimes we get it right.

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